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knowledge and a subjective approach. It employs insight and intuition as methods of drawing connections between data. In this project much of the judgement in decision- making occurred as a result of acting on feelings and informed instincts. advantages and disadvantages One of the advantages of heuristics as a methodology is its ability to cope with change. Initially, I began this project by focusing on the historical nature of Kothaa culture and the impact of British colonisation upon it. However, as I began exploring more deeply I was constantly brought back to my personal experiences growing up and working in contemporary India. As a result, the topic changed several times. The research then journeyed through considerations of the kothaa and the brothel, the brothel and the gali, spiritual dimensions of the sex worker in Indian society, the dynamics of the sex trade in Indian cities, and finally a creative consideration of a more subjective (politically driven) project that involved reflections on the Lal Batti. These changes in focus and direction occurred as a result of new explorations and the impact of data coming into the research. Kleining and Witt (2000) state that the topic of research is preliminary and may change during the research process (p.2). They suggest that a research question may only be fully known after being successfully explored. Because of this they argue that The research person should be open to new concepts and change his/her preconceptions if the data are not in agreement with them” (ibid.). Because of Reflections on the Lal Batti needed to remain open to the potentials of ideas, heuristics suited the project. I was able to heighten the chances of discovery because the question was able to operate as a mutable frame rather than a rigid demarcation of knowledge. 63 One of the difficulties with heuristics, however, is that unless it is used carefully, the amount of collected data can become unwieldy. The researcher may be unable to negotiate patterns and potentials within it. There are several methods of dealing with this 63 Wood (2004) suggests, “Heuristics is concerned with discovery, rather than with proof” (p. 2). He argues that it is a more appropriate method for many designers because it does not involve a series of linear, finite questions (p.9). 60
problem. Kleining and Witt (2000) suggest that the researcher must remain constantly aware of the state of the research question at any given time. If he is aware of exactly what he is asking of his material, he stands a higher chance of being able to discover pertinent similarities and patterns within it. Because he has framed the question succinctly, he is therefore able to locate similarities, analogies or homologies within the diverse data that he is collecting and processing (pp. 2-3). The success of this procedure they argue is often measured by the richness of the result, its cohesive patterns and inter-subject validity (ibid.). Although I was constantly aware of both the framing of my project and the subquestions 64 within it, I also created a visual environment that displayed data, reflections, experiments and emerging designs. I did this so I was able to surround myself with the ‘world’ of the project. By reflecting upon the discussions between aspects of the research, I was able to draw out potential creative potentials in the work. activating heuristics through the design process It was in my studio that most of the research was conducted. Its space and walls became a continuous discourse between images, created textures, photographs, mocks, 65 patterns, and fabrics surfacing through the research. The studio was constantly changing because of my constant reflection upon, and finding relationships between, new and disparate data. 66 64 By sub-question I refer to the range of questions used to make forays into the specific areas of belonging, manipulation, spirituality, entrapment and demise. 65 A mock is another term for a toile. It is used to develop the final pattern, to enable fitting and to manipulate the design. 66 Keeping this space in a relatively disorganised manner (like spreading my patterns out on tables, pinning fabric experiments onto walls, or leaving partially draped dress forms incomplete) gave me a new way of looking. When leaving the studio at night I would leave my thinking as it was, without moving or reorganising anything. Coming back to a chaotic space the next morning often allowed me to take a fresh ‘look’ at a problem that might have been troubling me. Kleining and Witt (2000, p. 2) see this ability to “change preconceptions to data collection and analysis” as pivotal to the successful implementation of heuristics as a methodology. 61
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